Enfield Resident Awarded 'Korean Ambassador For Peace' Medal

ENFIELD – Local veteran Ernest Maynard was presented with the Korean Ambassador for Peace Medal during a ceremony Monday morning.

Maynard, 91, said he joined the U.S. Army at 17 years old because "in 1941 and 1942, America had this idea that this is a free country and we wanted to keep it free."

Maynard enlisted in the Army in February 1943 and served first in World War II in General George Patton's 3rd Army as a corporal, he said.

Before being deployed to Korea in 1950, Maynard went to school in Aberdeen, Md., to become an auto mechanic, he said. Maynard returned to the U.S. in August 1951.

He returned from both wars without injury, he said, after serving about nine years total.

This isn't Maynard's first award or recognition, however; he has received 11 other honors for his service in the military, including the American Campaign Medal, European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and the Korean Service Medal with three bronze service stars.

Maynard stays involved in various veterans' organizations and events, such as highway dedications and parades, and he used to attend different meetings to help veterans.

"I want to keep veterans who served honorably remembered," Maynard said. "You never know what a veteran went through."

Maynard's son Wayne said his father was a volunteer firefighter for the Hazardville Fire Department for more than 30 years and has volunteered at the Enfield Senior Center and Enfield Adult Day Center.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, who arranged for Maynard to receive the medal, said, "The Korean War is sometimes known as the forgotten war or the unknown war but this recognition shows that folks in Korea certainly remember and appreciate what we did," Courtney said.

According to Courtney, veterans eligible for the Ambassador for Peace medal must have served in country during the Korean War from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, or have participated in United Nations peacekeeping operations until the end of 1955. U.S. Navy members also are eligible, according to Courtney, if they had served abroad in a naval vessel that was assigned to Korean waters from 1950-1953. The medal may also be awarded posthumously, according to Courtney.

About 40 people attended Monday morning's ceremony at Enfield Town Hall, including Maynard's family, members of the Patriot Riders and local veterans groups.